Moslems, ideals, class size discussed
-LETTERS TT° EDITOR
Small classes
a rarity,
not reality
When I read the article (DN, Feb.
7) “Officials: Class size kept small,”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Is Griesen joking? Few complaints
about class size?
For the last year, that’s all I’ve
heard is complaints about class size,
mostly from professors. It astounds
me how administrators here arc so
incompetent that they have no idea of
the problems that exist in their own
university. I had a criminal justice
class last semester (101) that had about
320-plus students in it. The entire
Love Library auditorium was taken
up. People were sitting on the floor.
In our last class, the professor spent
20 minutes complaining about how
not enough criminal justice students
could get all the classes they wanted
and how he shouldn’t have to have a
class of more than 320 people.
The problem he said was that the
university didn’t hire enough profes
sors to make more classes and smaller
classes. He urged the students to take
action and complain and protest to
the administrators to fix the problem.
If this university is a “very warm
place,” how come in my three years
here I have never gotten to know one
professor? I’ve never had a class small
enough! Idropped an economics class
this semester that last semester had
50 students and the professor walked
in the first day of class this semester
and found 120 students in his class.
Professors don’t have time to get to
know a majority of the students. There
is no way.
I’ve complained about class size
to my adviser, and he sadly shakes his
head. So why does this university
pretend that there is no problem when
it clearly exists?
Joel Green
junior
arts and sciences
Moslem women
enjoy freedom,
feel protected
The letters in the Daily Nebraskan
about the status of women in Islam
encourage me to write about Mos
lem women and their freedom. Islam
puts restrictions on both men and
women. Islam is more than a religion;
it is a way of life. There is no such
thing as a perfect human. I do not say
the Moslem men as well as women
are angels or that they are perfect.
Due to their human nature, they
sometimes tend to deviate from Is
lamic regulations.
Self-respect is a valuable thing for
women. Moslem women have every
so. tof freedom, which is not harmful
to their dignity or to the society. In the
framework of an Islamic society,
Moslem women enjoy the fruits of
these (so-called restrictive) rules. They
feel more protected and respected,
unlike women who belong to other
societies. It is the responsibility of
Moslem men to ensure the protection
of women. Fidelity and loyalties are
broken every day in the non-Moslem
societies. Secular laws that arc meant
to provide protection to women very
often humiliate women.
Take for example the judicial
proceedings of a rape case. A rape
victim has to go through the deepest
humiliation to explain the events of
the incident. This is usually done in
the presence of strangers. Also, west
ern societies expect adult females to
look for their partners. Such women
are very often subjected to trickery
and chauvinism when they must prove
to their boyfriends that they will in
deed be a pleasant and satisfying partner
in bed, too. This is indeed a form of
the societal acceptance of date rape
and sexual assault. In fact, rape is an
act of taking advantage of physical
weakness of females and subduing
them against their wishes with force.
It does not matter whether ladies
like such treatment; what does matter
is that date rape happens. Just look at
the frequency of reported incidents
on the UNL campus.
Islam puts restrictions upon both
males and females to guard them
against such mistreatment and pro
tects all members of the society re
gardless of their gender. Good as
pects of the Islamic society are hid
den from the front-page news by a
tragic incident within Islamic soci
ety. This completely hides the real
face of Islamic society.
Nadeem M. Shaikh
senior
mechanical engineering
Team owner’s ‘joke’
continues conflict,
fosters sexism
Few all those who thought the Victor
Kiam-New England Patriots-Lisa
Olson thing was over, think again.
Kiam was immortalized in the Feb.
7 issue of the Daily Nebraskan as he
was caught in his natural pathetic
state telling a sexist joke about Olson
and the war to an all-men’s club gath
ering. I hope you read it because I
refuse to repeat such a vile “joke” (if
that’s what you would call it).
As I wrote in my first letter in the
Daily Nebraskan the day after the
original incident occurred, Kiam is
looked up to by many — especially
men — who sec the multimillionaire,
company and team owner as a role
model. Well, stop looking, men, as
Alan Greenberg of the Hartford Cour
ant wrote in his recent column, “Kiam
made himself a leading candidate for
Neanderthal of the year_Unfortu
nately, nobody ever was denied a
professional sports franchise because
he or she was an insensitive clod.”
Kiam has done nothing to resolve
the conflict. He defended his players,
called Olson “a classic bitch,” denied
it and now this? Kiam may be rich
and powerful, but it doesn’t stop him
from being completely stupid.
I know some of you think this is
trivial compared to the war going on
in the gulf, but such behavior can’t be
ignored from a public figure.
And speaking of the war and our
loved ones overseas, is the Husker
women’s basketball team going to
remember and pay tribute to our troops
like the Husker men and every other
team in the United States with the
small gesture of a flag on their jer
seys?
Jody Hoatson
senior
broadcasting
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Freedoms make
ideals, values
worth the fight
I am writing in response to the
specific comment that Hai-Wei Tan
made (DN, Feb. 1). I read his article
with interest and understanding of his
viewpoint and drew my own conclu
sions.
His comment about.the ideology
of our nation not being worth fighting
and, yes, sometimes dying for, both
ers me. I’m sure Hai-Wei Tan never
thought about the fact that he was
exercising one of the many rights that
so many Americans enjoy every day
of their lives. I also think Mr. Tan
never thought of the many valuable
lives that were sacrificed to give him
these rights.
It bothers me that there are people
taking these rights and the very ideol
ogy of our nation for granted. I invite
Mr. Tan to fulfill his intentions of not
living with his country’s actions.
Perhaps another country would be
more suitable. One that places less
value on principles and more empha
sis on the com fort and con venience of
its citizens.
What is worth dying for? If ideals
and values are not worth sacrifice,
why have them? A nation that docs
not defend its principles where and
whenever necessary forfeits the rights
of its people to live freely.
Mitch Norder
junior
mechanical engineering
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